The Wrong Bus
by JediMasterTabster
Summary: Elise Jones is just a normal teenage girl, expecting to start her normal first day of school. But what happens when she gets on the wrong bus?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or anything affiliated with it. They all belong to Disney.

Summary: When Elise Jones gets on the Sky High bus by accident she finds herself on the ride of her life.

**The Wrong Bus - Prologue**

I stood at the bus stop tapping my foot impatiently. Either I had missed the bus, or it was running incredibly late. Either way, it was not the most enjoyable way to be starting my senior year at a brand new high school. I still wasn't sure why my parents had felt the need to uproot me from our home in New York to bring to me this place right before senior year. I hadn't even taken the time to pay attention to what the name of this new city was. I didn't really care. I was far too busy being bitter toward my parents to care.

I adjusted my pink backpack on my shoulder and ran a hand through my long brown hair in frustration, pulling at the tangles as I went. I looked awful today; half my clothes were still missing from the move, so I was wearing a pair of faded and torn blue jeans and an old, faded Carebears t-shirt that could almost be considered too small. I looked like a charity case. I hadn't really bothered to do much in the way of makeup that morning either, just a bit of mascara and lip gloss.

I was about to turn away from the stop and head back home when I heard the loud school bus engine roaring toward me.

"Finally," I muttered.

I watched in surprise as the bus pulled to a stop beside me. It was a small bus, much smaller than I had expected a high school bus to be. The bus pulled up next to me, and the doors swung open, revealing a slightly larger man with a nametag that read 'Ron' on it.

"You waiting for _the_ bus?" he asked, with a wink.

My jaw almost dropped. Why in the world was this bus driver winking at me? For starters, I'm not that attractive, but still, he's the bus driver! Fighting every urge to make a sarcastic response, I just nodded.

"Well, get on then," he said with a smile.

I smiled weakly back and climbed the steps. As I headed to the only empty seat near the back of the bus, I could feel the students sizing me up. Some of them stared at me with totally curious expressions on their faces, and it made me wonder if I had suddenly grown a third head or something.

As I walked I noticed that all the students were my own age. Odd. I didn't think they had separate buses at high schools for separate grades.

I sat down in the empty spot, which happened to be next to the most intimidating looking guy on the bus. He had long dark hair, and dark eyes that, for a moment, seemed to have flames dancing in them. He looked like your typical rock'n'roll biker guy; big muscles, dark band t-shirt, and tattered jeans. At least I wasn't so out of place with my jeans.

Smiling feebly I held out my hand. "I'm Elise."

He glanced at my hand for a moment then raised his eyebrow and looked away. "Warren," he muttered before pulling the headphones that were around his neck up over his ears and turning up the volume.

I dropped my hand and felt a crimson blush rise in my cheeks.

I didn't have much time to think on what had just occurred however, because next thing I knew, the door had closed, and the bus driver was switching hats, ripping off his badge, and giving some speech about holding on tight. Somewhere within his speech I caught the words 'Sky High'. Then, before I knew what was happening, the entire bus transformed, and I was strapped down to my seat as the bus propelled itself into the air.

I thought for a moment I was going insane. Maybe the creep beside me had been snorting shrooms or something before getting on the bus, and I had somehow inhaled some of it. At this point, I wasn't quite sure what to think. Maybe I was just dreaming.

I closed my eyes tightly and gripped the seat, hoping that when I opened them everything would be normal.

No such luck. I waited til the bus had come to a complete stop, and opened my eyes to find myself staring at the strangest, most high tech looking school I had ever seen. In big bold letters above the front door was a sign that read 'Sky High'.

I was in a daze as I made my way off the bus, and found myself staring at the front doors with my mouth hanging wide open in shock.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and spun around to find a girl with bright orange hair staring at me with a curious expression on her face. I recognized her from the bus, as well as her companion, a cute boy with brown hair and an amazing smile.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "You look a little pale and shocked."

"I'm uhh.. I… think I'm going insane..." I mumbled. "I could have sworn our bus just flew, and that the sign on the school said 'Sky High'."

They both blinked at me.

"Uhh… that's because it did fly, and you are at Sky High," the boy said, the tone of his voice telling me he certainly thought I was crazy.

I blinked several times letting his words sink in. A funny butterfly-like feeling started to rise from my stomach, and I began to get very dizzy. Thoughts and questions began to run so fast through my mind that I couldn't think straight and the world began to spin.

"I think I got on the wrong bus," I mumbled as I felt my body collapse beneath me, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter One Of Powers and Superheros

A/N: Wow! Thanks for the awesome reviews so far! I'll be quite honest, I had no idea at first where this story was going to take me; I originally had it planned as a one-shot, but then realized I couldn't figure out how to wrap it up haha. ANYWAY… I think I'm on a bit of a Sky High overload… I seriously watched that movie a good 12 times in about 4 days. Did a lot of good ol' research on some of the actors too. Well, at least as much as I could find. The only ones who really had information on them were Michael, Jake, Steven and Dee-Jay. I was quite pleased to note however that both Steven and Jake are the same age as me sigh GO 1986 KIDS! WOOT!

Eep. Anyway, on a note actually concerning the story; I realize due to the line that The Commander says near the end about everyone being heroes most people have decided in their fics to eliminate the Hero/Sidekick class. Unless I've missed it several times, I don't recall them saying at the end of the movie that has ever changed, so for purposes within my story, the Hero/Sidekick classes will remain as they were. Of course, there may be some changes now from who's in what class ;) Oh yeah, and… ZACH RULES!

Chapter One:

I woke up to find three pairs of eye staring down at me. Two belonged to the kids who had spoken to me moments before I passed out, and the other pair belonged to an old woman with thick glasses, who's nametag read 'Nurse Spex'

"Oh good, you're awake" she said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

I blinked several times as I sat up. "Uhm, alright I guess…still a little confused though." I really had no idea what was going on. I certainly wasn't supposed to be _here_, wherever here was. I was supposed to be at… come to think of it, my parents had never actually mentioned the name of the school I would be attending. Or had they, and simply in my bitterness I had ignored it? I suppose that meant overall, I really had no idea where exactly I was supposed to be.

"Of course you're confused, it's normal to be confused right after fainting," the nurse laughed, hitting herself in the head and making a noise that sounded like 'Duh.'

I raised an eyebrow; this woman was certainly not normal.

"I don't think that's why she's confused," the guy said, offering me a comforting smile. "I'm Will _Stronghold_, and this is Layla." Whether it was part of my imagination, I could have sworn he added emphasis to his last name. Was he insinuating that I should recognize the name?

"Elise." I paused a moment. Strronghold…come to think of it the name did sound familiar. Then it dawned on me. "Your parents are in Realty aren't they?" I asked. He nodded, and almost looked worried for a brief moment. "Your parents sold my parents our new house."

It was Layla's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Is that the only connection you make to their name?"

I shot her a confused look. "Yeah, why? Should I know something else about them?"

All three exchanged glances. And Layla frowned slightly before talking. "Elise, what did you mean when you said you thought you got on the wrong bus?"

They all stared at me waiting for an answer. I had thought the answer would be obvious. I got on the wrong bus. But then again, I wasn't so sure anymore… of that or the answer. I mean, did I really truly know I wasn't supposed to be here? After all, the bus had picked me up from the exact spot I was told it would, around the same time. But this place, it was so strange, there was no way my parents simply sent me to this technological myth in the sky. I frowned. "Sky High…what kind of high school is it?"

They exchanged glances again, and the nurse turned to the cupboard behind her. I craned my neck in an attempt to see what she was grabbing. Will and Layla's inquisitive expressions matched my own; at least I wasn't the only one who was confused for this particular moment. Moments later Nurse Spex turned back to me with a gadget in her hand that largely resembled the memory eraser from Men In Black and The Incredibles.

At the sight of the gadget, recognition flashed across the two teens' faces, and they reached into a yellow bucket on the counter, pulling out a pair of sunglasses each and putting them on. While they did this, I noted, Nurse Spex's glasses went several shades darker.

I was becoming more and more freaked out by the second. What in the world was going on and where the heck was I? This had to be a dream.

"Now dear," Nurse Spex began, "I'm going to ask you to look right here and—"

"Hell no!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands over my face in protection and looking down. "You ain't gonna flashy thing me! I've seen Men In Black, I know what that thing does!"

"Now dear, I think you're got the wrong idea," she cooed softly. "I just need to check your eyes."

I snorted. I may have been confused, but I certainly wasn't gullible.

The door to the room swung open, and I raised my head to see who it was. A middle-aged woman with jet black hair, wearing a black skirt suit approached us and smiled. "Thank you Nurse Spex, but there's no need for that." She then turned to face me. "Elise, I need to speak with you in the office. Will, Layla, thanks for helping her. I'll pass along an explanation to Mr. Medula why you are late for class."

I blinked in surprise. How did this woman know my name?

"Thanks Principal Powers," Will said. "It was nice meeting you Elise. Maybe we'll see you around." He and Layla hurried out the door, leaving me with the insane nurse and the woman I now knew was the Principal.

I really had to be dreaming. Everything here was far too weird. And what kind of name was Mr. Medula anyhow?

"Elise, if you could come with me," Principal Powers said.

I nodded and wondered once again how she knew my name. Pushing my many questions to the back of my mind for the moment, I followed Principal Powers out the door and into the hall.

The halls were empty, I assumed since classes had already started. I was surprised to see murals of Superheroes on some of the walls, some above lockers, others just filling in a blank space on the wall.

As we rounded a corner toward what must have been the office I was nearly flattened by a tall guy with shaggy brown hair barreling down the hall. My face had pretty much landed in his chest, which, I took note of was pretty firm. The guy must work out. His outfit was a little, punk-skaterish I suppose; beige khakis with a black and white striped long-sleeve shirt, covered by a Billy Talent t-shirt.

"Lash, shouldn't you be in class right now?" Principal Powers asked, crossing her arms.

Lash tossed a cocky grin in my direction before holding up an orange hall pass.

"Isn't it a little early for washroom breaks?" Principal Powers pointed out.

I took the opportunity of their conversation to examine Lash. Certainly a trouble-maker was my guess, from the way Principal Powers addressed him. As I watched him I realized he had to be older than the average senior. He looked closer to twenty than he did seventeen.

They finished their conversation with Principal Powers telling Lash to get straight back to class. As Lash walked by me I felt his hand grab my rear-end.

I spun around to glare at him and muttered "Jackass" under my breath.

"Lash," Principal Powers called out loudly, turning slowly to face him.

Lash stopped in his tracks and turned back. "Yes Principal Powers?" he asked innocently.

"I'll see you in detention after school for inappropriate conduct."

He shot me a dirty look and I responded with a smug grin before following Principal Powers into the office. That'll teach him to think he can get away with touching me.

We walked through the main part and into Principal Powers' personal office. She motioned for me to have a seat at one of the chairs in front of her desk as she closed the door. I sat down and clasped my hands in my lap, my left leg bouncing nervously. I had always hated the Principal's office, even if I was in there for something that I wasn't getting in trouble for.

"I imagine you're feeling rather confused right now," she began, walking to her desk and sitting down.

Heh. That was the understatement of the year. I was feeling more than confused. I was so overly confused that the dream theory I had been operating on earlier was certainly beginning to take charge. As always, I n order to keep my nerve, I began to look around. The office was quaint; mahogany desk, mahogany book-cases filled with books and pictures of what I assumed was her family. Certificates hung framed on the wall, along with several superhero shaped awards, and pictures of her with Superheroes. What was it with this school and heroes?

"Your parents thought it might be easier if I explained things to you after you arrived here."

My level of confusion kicked up another several notches, and I stared at her wide-eyed. My parents knew about this place?

Principal Powers smiled. "Sky High, as you've probably already figured out, is not a normal high school. It really is the only one of its kind, for very _special_ students who are quite different than normal teenagers. Each of our students have unique talents."

She paused and I stared at her blankly. "I'm not following."

She sighed. "Sky High is a training school, for supers."

This was absolutely insane. "Wait, when you say supers, do you mean like superheroes, as in Jetstream and The Commander?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

My confusion was mounting faster than you could say… well anything that would fit into that cliché. "What does all this have to do with me?"

"Elise, you come from a very long line of inactive supers. Normally by now, the chances of powers developing would be so incredibly slim that it is nothing to worry about. However, it was overlooked when your parents married that both were from inactive lines. That ups the percentage of the chance of offspring developing powers by almost 80. Since you were born, you've been monitored in case any signs of developing powers ever began to show."

I nearly choked in surprise. Me? From a line of supers? There was no way! And if there was, why had I never been told? I looked up at Principal Powers with a curious expression, waiting for her to continue.

"When you were born, there were no signs of the chromosome that supers have in their DNA, the one which allows them to develop powers. But, as we've seen in a few very rare cases in the past, that chromosome has developed later on in the child's life. That was the reason why you had to get blood tests more often than normal kids. Last year when they checked your blood sample, they found that both the chromosome from your mother's and father's bloodlines had developed."

I'm sure she had explained this in a way that any normal person could have understood it, but I was already so confused, and my mind was operating so fast that I couldn't quite grasp what she was saying. "Once again, you've lost me," I said, rubbing my temples. All this information and thinking was giving me a headache.

Principal Powers sighed again. I wondered if my lack of understanding was giving her a headache too. "It means you have the potential to develop powers. You're the first in centuries from both your parents' lines to develop the super-chromosome."

There had to be some sort of mistake. I had never had anything resembling some sort of super-power (unless my innate ability to use incredibly amounts of sarcasm and cynicism when the situation called for it counted). I was as normal as normal could be. I sat in silence for a moment, trying to comprehend what Principal Powers had told me. I had to admit, part of me was excited. I mean seriously, who hasn't dreamed of becoming a super-hero one day?

Pulling out a manilla folder, Principal Powers opened it and slid me a piece of paper that looked like a schedule.

"Since you have not developed any powers as of yet, you will be placed in the sidekick class. For the first few months it might be a heavy workload for you, as you'll have a lot to catch up on from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade classes. Most of it you should be able to pick up on fairly quickly however. I'll see to it that your teachers are fairly lenient on you until you've caught up."

I bit my lip. Three years worth of classes to catch up on? That would be tough. I wasn't a terrible student, but I wasn't a genius either. My average at the end of the 11th grade had been in the mid-seventies. Not exactly honours.

I picked up the schedule and read it over. 'Hero Support 401- The Use Of Weaponry', 'History of Supers: 16th Century to Modern Day', 'Mad Science of Kryptonite' and 'Gym'. I shuddered at the last one. My old high school had Gym as optional after the 9th grade, and I hadn't exactly kept active over the past few years.

"Won't the fact that I don't have powers make things difficult in my class?"

"Not at all," Principal Powers said encouragingly. "Sidekicks' class rarely requires the use of their powers. Next semester there is a power training course, but if you have not developed any powers by then we'll simply give you a study period; we do that for any students who never develop their powers."

"There's others?"

"Not many, but there has been a select few." She gave me another kind smile. "Your first class is just down the hall, in room 203. I'll call ahead so Mr. Boy will be expecting you."

I returned the smile and stood up. "Thank you Principal Powers." I left the office and stopped in the middle of the hall, allowing the questions to start sorting themselves out in my mind. Everything she had told me was hard to comprehend. I still wasn't entirely sure I believed it all; my dream theory was definitely still topping the list. Standing there in the hallway contemplating wouldn't exactly help me though, I told myself, so I began walking down the hall in search of room 203.

It didn't take very long to find, and the door was open when I arrived. I knocked lightly before entering, and had to bite my lip to stop from laughing hysterically at the sight of my teacher in front of me. He was wearing and red, white and blue spandex costume with a red mask on his face.

As I entered the room he turned and grinned at me. "You must be Elise Jones. Welcome to Hero Support. I'm, ALL AMERICAN BOY!" He jumped forward with his arms spread out in what I assumed was an attempt to strike a superhero pose.

Forcing a friendly smile I nodded. This was going to be an interesting year.

"There's an empty seat near at the back," Mr. Boy said, pointing toward the back of the room.

I followed where he was pointing, and had to fight back a growl when I saw who it was beside. Lash. At least he looked about as pleased at the as I did. I began to walk through the aisle to the back, and next thing I knew something grabbed my ankle and I was lying face first on the floor. The class erupted into laughter and I could feel my face turning red.

"Lash, that wasn't polite!" Mr. Boy scolded.

I wasn't quite sure how Lash had done it, when I was still several desks away, but if Mr. Boy was calling him on it, chances were the guy had used his powers. I pushed myself to my feet and glared at Lash.

Lash smiled apologetically at Mr. Boy. "Sorry Mr. Boy, my pencil rolled away and I was trying to grab it, I must have tripped her by mistake."

Mr. Boy didn't quite look like he believed him, but said nothing and turned back to his lesson. Lash shot me a smug grin once Mr. Boy was no longer looking. I reached the desk and sat down, ignoring Lash as I pulled my books out of my bag.

"So, what's your powers newb? Getting people detentions?" he hissed.

I continued to ignore him.

"I get it, you wanted to get my attention because you think I'm so dashing didn't you?" he asked cockily.

Wow, an asshole and conceited. This guy certainly had the makings of a villain, I would think. Rolling my eyes I looked over at him. I almost lost my composure. I hadn't noticed in the hall his rich, deep brown eyes. The way his bangs fell across his face… I had to admit, the guy was good looking. But he was an asshole. And I had no time to waste on assholes. Hoping it hadn't been an eternity since he had spoken, I curled my lip in disgust and snickered. "Don't flatter yourself stripe-boy, I have much more refined tastes."

"Lash, are you gonna take that from Miss Charity Case here?" the guy next to him said. He was a slightly larger guy with a buzz-cut, and looked to be about the same age as Lash. Great, now I had two of them to deal with.

I grimaced inwardly at the charity comment. Man did it ever suck losing your clothes. I really did look like trailer-trash or something in that outfit. I shot them both a smug smirk. "Of course he'll have to take it. It's quite evident that neither of your intelligence levels are high enough to actually come up with something truly witty and scarring to say. I mean Miss Charity Case? Seriously, even my five year old cousin tosses out better insults than that."

Lash omitted a low growl, and his friend sneered. "Don't dance along the battle lines if you're not prepared to fight in the war," Lash threatened.

I raised my eyebrow again. Was he actually declaring war with me? Heh. If he wanted a war, he would get a war. I had a lot of pent up anger at that moment, and welcomed the opportunity to let it out. "I never dance, I only open fire." I gave him one last smug grin. "And I never miss my target." Not waiting for a response I slid my desk away from him and turned my attentions to examining the other students in the room.

I didn't see Layla or Will anywhere, so I assumed they were in the hero class… or a different grade. I recognized a few other kids from the bus; a pretty girl with black and magenta hair, and a short preppy black kid with glasses and curly brown hair. Beside the magenta-haired girl sat the tall blonde kid from the bus, wearing a neon green shirt and white shorts. Every now and then, he would attempt to grab her hand, and she would pull away shooting him a dirty look. I smiled; couples were so cute in high school.

I could hear Lash and his friend whispering and snickering, so I shot them what I hoped as a threatening look. They simply smirked in return.

"Speed, Lash, is there anything you'd like to share with the class?" Mr. Boy asked, looking frustrated.

So that was the other guy's name.

"No sir," Speed replied, smirking at me again.

For a moment I felt a twinge of fear and doubt. Was it really smart making enemies with kids who had powers when I didn't? As quick as it had come though, that fear dispersed. There was no reason why my wits couldn't give me an edge on these two goons; that was, as long as I actually remembered to use my wits.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and I joined the sea of students moving through the halls. What had started out as the most abnormal day of my life seemed to be doing anything but normalize.


	3. Chapter Two: Juvenile Delinquents

A/N: Wow. 2006 already. Man the years are flying by. I must say, I'm really flattered by the amount of reviews I've received already… and hits on the story. It's always encouraging to see. sigh I was hoping to land a copy of the Sky High dvd using my Christmas money, but it doesn't look like that's about to happen. So, alas, I must deal with fanfics only for the time being.

Chapter Two:

I was grateful for lunch time when the bell signaled the end of second period. I had never felt so lost in a class in my life. We were studying 'Superheroes of the 16th century'; I barely even knew this century's heroes. Fortunately, this gave me the opportunity to actually sit and think on everything that had happened, instead of paying attention.

It was a lot to take in. The possibility of me developing powers was as enticing as it was frightening. Of course, I wasn't sure if I really wanted these things, these changes to enter my life. For starters, it would mean a certain portion of my life would have to be kept secret. Already, my schooling, the people I would associate with; I would have to keep a certain level on anonymity for all of them. Although, when it really got down to it, there was one thing that probably received more worry than the rest; my lack of powers.

I mean sure, there was a chance I would develop powers, but there was an equal chance I wouldn't. And since I currently had no powers, things could prove to be difficult. I was sure if word got out that I, as a brand new senior had absolutely no powers, any chances of having even a semi-bearable year would go soaring out the window. Which meant the safest path would be simply to keep quiet about my…disadvantage.

By the time I made it to the cafeteria, every table had someone sitting at it. There was a semi-empty table at the back of the café, with only a few scared looking freshmen sitting at it. I began to walk towards it, keeping my head held high. Kids eat you alive as soon as the sense any fear.

"Elise, over here!" a familiar voice shouted over the loud chatter of the students.

I looked in the direction the voice had come from to see Layla waving me over to her table. A feeling of relief flooded over me as I hurried over. As I expected, Will was with her, but I was surprised to see the three kids I had recognized in class, as well as Warren sitting with them.

"Hey Layla, Will..." I greeted, the nodded in recognition at my classmates. I gave Warren a quick glance, and muttered "Warren". The cold stare he shot me mirrored the tone of my voice as I greeted him. Looked like I had made another enemy. I was really getting talented at making enemies for no apparent reason. They should hand out awards for that.

"Have you met the rest of the group?" Layla asked cheerfully, obviously trying to turn the atmosphere back to a pleasant one. I shook my head. She motioned to the blonde guy and the girl with magenta hair. "This is Zach and Magenta," pausing she motioned to the preppy kid, "and this is Ethan. Guys, this is Elise."

"Hey," I said, smiling at them.

"Sup?" Zach replied, and the other two followed suite.

I seemed to hit it off fairly well with everyone, minus Warren that is. While they laughed at my jokes, Warren snorted in disgust; if I asked a question, Warren answered me like I was stupid. I really could not understand how they could be friends with a guy who was as big of an asshole as he seemed to be. Halfway through lunch he muttered something about having some stuff to do, then stood and left.

"What's his problem?" I asked once he was out of hearing range.

Zach shrugged. "He just takes a while to warm up to you, yah know?"

Yeah, sure that was his only problem. The guy was as cold as the arctic. I took a bite of my sandwich and looked around the cafeteria. It was nearly impossible to tell that this was not a normal high school. Kids sat in very apparent cliques, except of course where you would see the odd incredibly nerdy looking kid at the hero table, my guess was solely because of his/her powers. As my gaze reached the far end of the cafeteria I noticed Speed and Lash, sitting with a dark-skinned girl dressed like a cheerleader. Lash was staring in my direction, a sneer across his face. I gladly returned the gesture.

"Met Lash already?" Will asked, interrupting my glowering.

"Mr. Boy put her beside him in Hero Support," Ethan explained.

Doing the most childish thing I had done in years, I stuck my tongue out at Lash before turning to my new friends. "What's the deal with Lash and Speed anyway? Shouldn't they be in the hero class? They don't strike me as the sidekicks type."

"They were in the hero class," Magenta smirked, "In their senior year three years ago."

I choked on my juice as I attempted to drink it when she said this. "Three years ago! They failed senior year three times!"

Zach laughed. "No way man, it's even better. They spent two and a half years in prison for teamin' up with Royal Pain to take down the school."

Hmm. Come to think of it, I did remember something on the news three years ago about a Super-Villain named Royal Pain finally being put behind bars. Wasn't sure what for though. I guess this was why. The fact that Lash and Speed had been to prison was a little frightening. Maybe having them as enemies wasn't such a smart idea if they were ex-convicts. My fear must have been evident on my face because Will laughed.

"It's nothing to be frightened of. They were only in juvi," he said. "They're not really that dangerous, just big bullies mostly. They didn't fully know what Royal Pain intended to do; which was why their sentence was a lot less than Pain's. They were allowed back into Sky High after they got out under strict rules, and were demoted to sidekicks. One wrong move and they're kicked out."

I looked briefly over at Lash's table again, pleased that he had stopped watching me. Now they seemed to be snickering and laughing at the dark-skinned girl, who was evidently angered about something. "So, Will, Layla, are you two in the hero class then?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I started off as a sidekick, but when I got my powers shortly into the ninth grade, they moved me to the hero class," Will said.

"And I was switched, very much against my will, after the homecoming incident," Layla explained with a frustrated sigh. "I was hoping the school's facist ideals would be changed after that, but the only thing that changed was their knowledge of my powers."

The group spent the rest of lunch explaining the entire homecoming fiasco to me. Will's girlfriend at the time had turned out to be Royal Pain, and she had gained the help of Lash, Speed, and the dark-skinned girl (who I know knew was named Penny) to carry out her plans. Her goal was to take over the school and turn everyone into babies (hence the name of her ultimate weapon, The Pacifier). Will, Layla, Magenta, Ethan, Zach and Warren saved the day, which was what led to Warren and Will becoming best friends. I personally could not see how two people so different could be best friends. While Will seemed funny, sweet and outgoing, Warren was rude, anti-social, and an asshole. At least, that was the persona he gave off.

Layla told me to go easy on the guy; he had spent every day since that year's homecoming trying to ward off the masses of psychotic, hormone-driven fan girls that all attempted to win him over. I wasn't too surprised at the fan girl thing, after all, from what I had seen, Warren was the best looking guy at the school. But still, I hadn't expected so many girls to be so shallow that they would simply ignore his lack of a personality. However, this was only my first day of school, so maybe there was a chance that Warren might prove to be less of an asshole.

* * *

Lash sat glaring across the cafeteria at Elise, ignoring Penny as she rambled on about some new idea she had to win back Principal Powers' favour. Lash didn't really care about whether or not Powers liked him; he just wanted to get this year over with and get out of Sky High.

His glare intensified as Elise caught his gaze and began to glower back at him. He wasn't quite sure why he had developed such a strong disliking to her so quickly; perhaps it was because unlike most new students who were usually intimidated by him at first meeting, she showed no fear at all. And what was worse, she seemed to have no problem at all standing up to him and shooting him down. Sure, very few kids were intimidated by him now, but he still seemed to be able to make freshmen and new students fear him, even if only for a while. But with Elise, there had not been any while.

When he had first seen Elise he had thought she would make the perfect target. She seemed like the type of shy, quiet girl who would play right into his hands. Her clothing looked like she had bought it from a thrift store, and she gave off the vibe she was very uninterested in male attention.

Not that she could get any if she wanted it, Lash mused, continuing to watch her. She certainly wasn't 'stop and stare gorgeous' like Gwen had been, but she was attractive. She was skinny, but not anorexic looking like the vast majority of girls at Sky High. Appearance-wise she was exactly the type of girl Lash could see himself falling for, but personality-wise was a whole other story. She was way to obnoxious and bitchy for him to ever be interested in. Chances were, she would be far too goody-goody for him as well.

He was about to flip her off for glaring at him, when she stuck out her tongue and turned back to Stronghold and his groupies.

"She just stuck her tongue out at me!" Lash exclaimed. "How childish can you get!"

"What?" Penny asked, frustrated at being interrupted. She turned to look in the direction Lash was glaring, then turned back around. "Are you still going on about her? Didn't you hear a thing I said?"

Lash rolled his eyes. Had this been three years ago, Penny would have multiplied to yell at him all at once, but since being released from juvi, she would never multiply in public. "Nope, didn't hear a thing," Lash grinned icily, "and really, I couldn't give a shit. I could care less about kissing Powers' ass."

Speed snorted out a laugh beside them as Penny crossed her arms and glared. "I don't see you making any plans to get us back in the hero class," she snapped.

"That's cause there's no point," Speed replied, his tone insinuating he thought she was being quite dense.

"We'd never get back to the status we were at. For one, Powers is too smart to let us back, and two; what point would there be in getting back to hero class anyhow?" Lash's tone was cold; he had no patience for Penny and her antics. "Face it Penny, we will never be heroes. There is no turning back." He watched, unaffected as hurt reflected in Penny's eyes. It almost made him laugh to see how weak she had become without Gwen. Neither he nor Speed were entirely sure why they even hung around with her. The only reason they had tolerated her before was Gwen; now that Gwen was gone, there was no reason to. He figured the reason they allowed her to hang around was out of pity for her; after all, they were in the same boat. But both he and Speed were tiring fast from her constant plotting to try and make it back to the top.

"So what, you're just going to tolerate being a sidekick, the very thing you hated the most?" she asked quietly.

"Karma is a bitch," Lash said. "All we want is to finish off this year and graduate so we never have to see this damn school again. I couldn't care less how I graduate as long as I do."

Penny shook her head in disgust and stood up. "Gwen would be so disappointed in you two," she muttered before walking away.

Speed snorted again. "As if we'd really care what Gwen thought." He stood up and stretched his arms, then cracked his knuckles. "C'mon Lash, what do you say we go have some fun tormenting freshmen until the lunch bell rings?"

Lash grinned and stood. "I say that sounds like a plan." He looked around the cafeteria for an easy target, and his grin widened as he spotted Elise leaving. "Better yet, I say we torment the newb." He nodded his head in the direction she was leaving.

Speed followed Lash's gaze and smirked. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

I decided to leave the café early to avoid the crowd and find my way to my next class.

The halls had a few students milling around, but were thankfully nowhere near as crowded as they were in between classes. After grabbing my notebooks from my locker I headed in what I hoped was the correct direction down the hall.

As I walked, something that felt like a gush of wind rushed by me and all my books went flying out of my hands. Before I had the chance to react, this 'wind' rushed by me again and I was body checked full-force into the wall. I let out an 'Oomph!' as I crashed painfully against the cement wall. Whatever had shoved me had done so with a fair amount of force. I turned sharply from the wall to find myself facing none other than Speed. It didn't take much to connect the dots and realize why he was called Speed.

"What's your problem asswipe?" I snarled at him.

"Problem? I have no problem. I'm just having some fun," he chuckled.

Lash walked up beside him, an evil grin on his face. He stepped over my notebooks and looked at them with a raised eyebrow before looking at me. "What's the matter, a few notebooks too heavy for you?"

I narrowed my eyes and quickly debated whether or not I should give them the satisfaction of responding or reacting. As much as I would have loved to have snapped back at them, five minutes before class was certainly not the best time to engage in a battle.

Not taking my eyes off them, I bent down and picked up my notebooks. I half expected them to try and stop me, but they did nothing. I stood back up and muttered sharply, "If you'll excuse me," then tried to push past them. Unfortunately they had other plans.

Lash grabbed me just below my shoulder and shoved me back against the wall. "But we were just about to have some fun with you."

Obviously my tactics weren't going to work, so I gave in. "As if the two of you could be any fun," I sneered. "Or maybe that's the problem; you were so busy having fun that you've landed yourself back in senior year three years later." A small smirk played across my lips as their expressions distorted to angry glares.

Lash slammed me back against the wall again, this time hard enough that it hurt. I winced slightly at my latest bruise, but held my composure. "Shut up," he growled.

"What's the matter Lash? Touchy subject for you guys?" I taunted.

Speed growled. "I'd be careful if I were you newb, or—"

"Or what?" I interrupted. "Or you'll beat me up and land yourself another detention, possibly a ticket out of the school?"

Even though I was speaking to both of them, I never broke eye contact with Lash. Speed was certainly helping Lash, but the initial battle was between Lash and I. I wasn't really sure why this whole thing was starting, but hey, from the way they were reacting, I at least had the upperhand in this so far. And I had to be quite honest, I loved it. Anyone who can make a bully squirm has got to be doing something right.

"Lash tightened his grip on me for a second, then let go and turned away. "Come on Speed. We don't need another detention for being late. Mr. Medula's already got it in for us."

Speed blinked and looked at Lash in surprise. Whatever look Lash shot hom must have made him understand, because he looked back at me and threatened "Next time you won't be so lucky," before turning to follow Lash.

The bell rang as they began to walk away and I let out a frustrated sigh. I guess my opportunity of getting to class early was gone. I had no idea where I was going and—wait a second! Lash had said they had Mr. Medula, and if I remembered correctly, that was who I had too. I dodged back into the hallway, keeping my eyes on the shaggy brown hair that almost seemed to float above the crowd. At least Lash was useful for something. I pushed my way through the sea of students until I was pretty much behind him, and followed him the rest of the way to class.


	4. Chapter Three White Walls

Chapter Three: White Walls

I managed to avoid getting stuck on the same bus as Lash and Speed, a miracle which I graciously owed to Principal Powers for having given the two of them detention. I sat beside Layla on the bus ride home, and although she was very talkative, other than muttering in agreement here and there, I remained silent. I knew exactly what she was saying, but I was too distracted by my growing anger towards my parents to respond. While Layla went on about how we'd have to have a sleepover and she would need to show me around the city, I sat silently fuming about the cruelty of how my parents allowed me to experience my first day of school.

As the bus pulled into our area of town, I found myself quickly despising the large, fancy homes that were designed with ultimate perfection. I was sure it was just my fowl mood that was causing me to dislike everything about where I was so much, but that fact didn't prevent me from disliking it any less at that moment. The bus came to a stop outside my house and I groaned. Mom and dad were home. They should have been at work, but something told me they wanted to be home to see how my day had gone.

"You okay?" Layla asked, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking of how I'm going to destroy my parents when I walk through that door," I replied as I stood and let out a long, depressed sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Layla nodded. The look on her face said she understood why at that very moment I wanted to kill my parents.

"BYE ELISE!" Will and Zach yelled from the back of the bus. I responded with a half-wave and made my way off the bus.

The front door of our perfect house loomed ahead of me like the gates of hell. I pulled my knapsack tighter over my shoulders, pulled my lips into a thin snarl and walked up the steps.

I hardly had the time to reach up toward the door-knob when the door flew open and I found myself staring into the grinning faces of my parents.

"Hi hunny! How was your day?" My dad gushed, as he ushered me inside the house.

"I made a snack for you! Figured you could use it after your first day of school!!" My mother said cheerfully, waving me toward the kitchen.

I stared at them incredulously, let out a harrumph, and turned to the staircase. "If you need me, I'll be figuring out how not to get myself killed at school." I made sure my last step was a loud THUMP, then proceeded across the hall and slammed my door.

"I think she might be a little upset with us," I heard my mother say after a few minutes.

_Nah really?_ I thought. I threw myself on my bed, let out an exasperated sigh, and stretched out on my back, staring at the white ceiling. My room was still boring and bland – my parents had purchased the house brand new, and asked that my room be left plain so that I could decorate it how I wanted. At the moment, I almost wished they had let the interior designers do it for me. Anything other than the white ceiling and white walls would make my day that much more cheerful. But no. Until I would have the time to decorate, I would be stuck with a room that was as boring and bland as I must have appeared to all the kids who had powers at Sky High.

I closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like to have powers. What powers would I have? What would I want? I would love to be able to fly… and fire power like Warren's would be cool. But Layla's powers would also be cool to have. I mean come on, extreme control over plants? Nature is the most deadly weapon on this planet – she could easily be the most powerful superhero out there. I pictured myself soaring through the clouds, an enemy approaching. Maybe electricity based powers… like lightning or something would be awesome.

My daydreaming was interrupted by three light taps on my door. That had always been dad's way of asking if he could come in when he knew I wanted to tear there heads off.

I didn't respond at first. I didn't want to talk to him.

"Elise?" he called softly after a few minutes. "Can I come in? You're mother is worried."

"Oh, so she worries AFTER I come back from the school that just happens to float in mid-air," I replied loudly, rolling my eyes as I jumped off my bed and opened my door. I didn't look at my father, just crossed my arms and walked over to my desk where I booted up my computer. I sat down in the chair, and heard him sit down on my bed.

"I know you're angry with us for not telling you…"

Here came the excuse. You know how parents always accuse kids of being full of excuses? They should really look at themselves in the mirror. Where do they think we learn it? Parents are always making excuses, always trying to find away to make their children understand their decision, even though we obviously rarely do understand.

"Look, dad, I appreciate that you're trying to make an apology here. But come on. You know as well as I do, that I'm going to fume about this for a while and then calm down, come down for dinner, glower at mom a bit, and make some friendly conversation with you. By the time dinner is done, I'll be cheerful, and we'll all be happy. Really. There's no need for you to make a bumbling fool out of yourself by trying to make up excuses for what you did. Just let me fume for a while, do some homework, and it'll be like the whole thing never happened."

I could tell dad was a little hurt that I wouldn't let him try and smooth things over with me, but at the moment, I didn't really care. I was upset with them, I was frustrated at how much studying I had to do, and I just wanted to be back with my old friends at my old high school, not worrying about anything.

I heard my door close softly as dad left, then I proceeded to dump the contents of my backpack out onto my bed. This was going to be one long evening.

* * *

Lash yawned and stretched out in his chair in the detention room. He was pretty impressed with himself – he had managed to avoid getting any detentions for three weeks before that new girl showed up. He hated that Principal Powers didn't keep a clock in the room, and of course, he never wore a watch. Which would mean he'd have to ask another student in the room for the time. Asking Speed would be useless; he wore a watch even less often than Lash, if that was even possible.

He scanned the room for a kid that seemed like they would be willing to give up the time for him, or might at least own a watch. He spotted a kid with green hair that was spiked up in huge spikes that had to be at least a foot and a half each.

"Hey cactus!" Lash called in a hushed voice.

The boy looked over at him and glared. "What?"

"You got the time?"

Cactus rolled his eyes, sneered and looked away. Speed tossed Lash a questioning glance, and Lash shrugged.

A few minutes later the door opened and Principal Powers dismissed them. As the students filed out, she stopped Lash.

"Take it easy on Elise please Lash…you've been doing well this year, I don't want to see you take another turn for the worst."

"Sure thing," Lash replied before peeling out of the room, Speed right behind him.

"So…," Speed began once they were out of Principal Powers' hearing range, "What's the plan of action?"

Lash didn't respond. The new girl was the furthest thought he wanted from his mind. She had just cost him an afternoon in detention, and he had homework to worry about. The thought almost made him laugh out loud. The Lash from three years ago wouldn't have been worried about homework – but then again, three years changes people – at least, in some ways.

But not even Speed knew about the changes that had taken place in Lash. It wasn't that he was a goody-good who desired to be a hero or anything like that, he just came to realize that a life of villainy wasn't exactly what he wanted. He loved creating mischief and tormenting those weaker than him, but Stronghold's little friends had proven that strength isn't always reflected through who's got the better powers.

"Uh Lash?" Speed poked him in the arm.

"Can we talk about this later? I gotta get home before my mom does, or I'm going to be grounded for the rest of the school year."

Speed gave him a funny look, but nodded in semi-understanding. "Alright man. Catch ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

Unlike most of the other students, Lash had his own vehicle, which allowed him to avoid getting stuck on the bus. The car was a '67 Mustang, redone with trinkets and devices that fit his 'super' needs – including the ability to fly. He had actually stolen the automobile jet-packs off of one of the buses that had been having engine problems. Restoring the car had been his project when he got out of juvi, and it was his pride and joy.

He revved the engine a few times after starting it and closed his eyes. His car was his escape. As he pulled out of the school parking lot, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID -- Home Calling -- and sighed. Should he answer it? Two more rings, and he knew he had to. If it was his father or mother, he would be in bigger trouble for not answering it than he would be for telling the truth.

"Hello?"

"Aaron, where are you?" his mother's worried voice came over the phone.

"I'm just on my way home mom -- stayed late after school."

His mother paused for a moment. "Detention?" When Lash didn't reply his mother let out a loud sigh. "Aaron... what are we going to do with you?"

"Look… I'll talk to you about it when I get home. I should be home shortly."

He hung up and let out his own sigh. Great, just great. Another lecture, another family dinner listening to his father go on about how he was dragging the family name through the mud. All this because of detention.

Then again, he reasoned, he did somewhat deserve it. He really did drag the family name through the mud. But really, what did the world expect? Just because his parents were heroes the whole planet expected that every one of their children would follow in their footsteps. Truth be told, Aaron longed to just be normal. Unlike most of the kids at school, who's 'hero' identities were secret from the world, his never would be. As long as he carried the Richards-Storm name, it would always be known who and what he was.

He often wondered if his parents had felt that burden as well, the burden of the whole world knowing who they were. It definitely had never helped in the case of villains who wanted his parents, their family, or their friends dead. They always knew where to find them.

Lash hadn't even finished pulling into the driveway when his younger sister's mocking face peered through the front door. She phased through the door and began dancing around his car.

"Detention again, huh Lash?" Angela laughed. "Dad's not too thrilled! Mom isn't happy! I bet you're going to get grounded!"

Lash rolled his eyes, put the car in park, and climbed out. His sister was the typical 13 year old -- annoying sing-song voice and all. "They can't ground me. I'm 20. The only thing they can do is restrict what I'm allowed to do in the house."

Angela shrugged. "Whatevs. You're still gonna get in trouble."

"Don't you have some friends to go annoy or something?"

Angela stuck out her tongue, and ran to the door, phasing herself back through it.

He slung his knapsack over his shoulder and trudged toward the front door. When he opened it, the smell of roast beef and potatoes flooded through, causing him to pause a moment and inhale the delicious scent.

"Aaron?" His mother called from the kitchen.

He walked past the stairs, dumping his bag beside the bottom step as he passed by. The kitchen was a mess – probably due to his mother's lack of skills with anything cooking or baking related. She was on this new kick about cooking, something about how she felt that she wasn't being a proper mother by always letting someone prepare their meals. Lash had to admit, despite her obvious need for improvement in the beginning steps, the final outcome of the food always seemed quite well made.

The sight of Sue Richards-Storm nearly made Lash laugh out loud. Her face and arms were covered in white flour and she was wearing a bright pink, frilly apron. Man, if the tabloids had a shot of this, the Invisible Woman would forever be humiliated.

"Hi mom," he greeted.

"Can you set the table for me? Dinners pretty much ready."

Lash nodded and grabbed a handful of utensils out of the top drawer by the sink. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't questioned him immediately about the detention – she believed that discipline belonged to both parents, and so she would wait until they sat down for dinner before bringing it up.

Dinner began with an awkward silence, indicating his mother had already told his father about the detention. He watched as the infamous Mr. Fantastic poked at his food, the same dull expression on his face that he always wore when something was distracting his thoughts from his work.

Lash rolled his eyes at the silence of his family. Even his sister was quiet, watching in anticipation of a huge fight that would make her look like the perfect angel. He put his fork down, purposely causing it to clang slightly on the side of his plate.

"Look, this awkward silence is killing me, so we might as well get this done and over with."

Reed Richards looked at his son in surprise. He wasn't usually one to beat around the bush when it came to dealing with a pending punishment.

"I got detention today because I got carried away teasing a new girl." Lash shrugged. "It's the first time in three weeks, and frankly, that's a record for me."

Reed frowned, a look of disappointment crossing his face. "Aaron, don't you think you're a little old to be teasing people?"

"Uncle Johnny does it, look how old he is." He knew a comment like that would only anger his father, but he didn't care. It was true. Why was he coming down on him for teasing someone, when he was at least supposed to be immature still. His uncle was the one who should be acting a bit more grown up.

"This isn't about John. This is about you. You and how you need to smarten up if you don't want to ruin you're only chance at not being sent back to prison."

"Reed," his mother said softly.

"No Sue. He needs to hear this. Every time it's the same old excuse, the same old lax attitude." His father looked at him angrily. "Aaron, if you screw this up, you don't get another chance. Nothing your mother and I do will be able to give you another one."

Lash's hand pulled into an angry fist under the table. Did his father really think he was that stupid that he would get himself thrown back in jail? Yeah, sure, he wasn't the greatest kid or student, but he had come a long way. A few minor detentions for missing homework or making fun of some kid weren't going to land him behind bars. He pushed his chair back as he stood, and glared at his father.

"You know what Dad, you're right. I'm just a horrible mess-up whose going to end up behind bars because I'll never be a perfect kid. The fact that I've managed to pull my grades into honours, and only have a few detentions compared to what I used to means dick all. Why would they care that I'm improving when I've had a few screw-ups." He made his way to the hall, but was stopped by his father's massive elastic arm blocking the doorway.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To do my homework, where else?" He looked back at his mom, who had her hand on her forehead. He knew she was getting tired of the fights, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He was tired of his dad never being happy with anything less than 100.

"Mom, if you need me, I've got my cell. I'm going to be at the Second Cup… I'll be home late."

Reed kept his arm there a moment longer, then slowly retracted it back to its original length. Lash was a little surprised his father didn't protest, but didn't want to stick around any longer in case he changed his mind.

"What?" he heard his father ask his mom once he was out in the hallway.

"Couldn't you just leave him alone, just once?"

"You're saying I should just let him get away with getting thrown into detention? Sue, I'm not about to sit around and watch our son be thrown into prison again."

Sue sighed. "I know. And I'm not either. But giving him that lecture over and over again isn't going to help. He's a good kid. He's getting better. Just give him time."

Lash smiled slightly. At least his mom understood him. He left the house quickly, hoping that his parents wouldn't get in an argument because of him. Oh well. At least he would be able to study without interruption at Second Cup.

* * *

Elise was beginning to get a headache. Between all the homework she had been doing, her frustration towards her parents, and the ugly white walls, her head was feeling like it was about to explode. She needed to get out of there. She needed something familiar, something that would feel like home and help her to relax.

She pulled up the google maps, and hunted for a Second Cup location nearby. At least if there was nothing familiar around, she could depend on Second Cup to feel like home. She quickly found one a few blocks away, threw her notebooks in her bag, grabbed her wallet, and left the room.

Her parents were in the living room, watching tv, reading the newspaper, and drinking their usual glass of white wine before bed.

"I need to get out of here. I'm going out for a bit," she announced as she slipped on her shoes.

Her mother frowned. "Alone?"

"Don't worry mom, I'm not going to get raped or attacked. I'm just going to the Second Cup a few blocks away. I need some space."

Her mother opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Elise's father. "Be careful. Don't be home too late."

Elise nodded and ignored the annoyed look that crossed her mother's face. "Later."


	5. Chapter Four: Lattes and Late Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High, its characters, its ideas or anything to do with it. I also do not own any of the Fantastic Four characters I also do not own Merlin, Princess Diedre, or the Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. I own Elise, and the plotline.. that's about it.

**Author's Note: Dear friends, my humblest apologies for not having updated in quite a while. The last year has been rather hectic, with moving back home, moving out to the camp I work at, having to go back home because I was in a car accident and can't walk much right now… *****ahem* But anyways… I'm really hoping to get much more writing done this year. Every month I am doing a new writing challenge. To kick off the new year, it is two Narnia stories. February will probably be this story, but I'm trying to get at least one chapter up before diving headlong into Narnia, just so I don't leave you all hanging too much longer.**

**P.s. I also apologize for the perspective shift at the end of the last chapter. I didn't even realize that I pulled Elise into third person.**

Chapter Four – Lattes and Late Nights

It wasn't that long a walk to Second Cup from our house, but it was long enough that it gave me some time to just relax and not really think about anything in particular. I took in the sights of the streets, trying to familiarize myself with the area.

It looked quite empty when I arrived, much to my relief, and I walked in through the door, feeling a small smile spread across my face. Nothing made me feel better like a caramel coretto, and being able to do my homework in peace.

After placing my order I made my way to a nice raised booth in the corner of the store. Some soft Spanish music was playing in the background, and the temperature was warm enough inside to sit comfortably without my jacket on. I pulled out my History of Superheroes textbook, flipped open my binder to the correct subject, and opened my dayplanner to see what exactly I needed for tomorrow.

"Here's your coffee," the barista said, sliding it across the table to me.

I smiled. "Thanks, it's much appreciated."

She nodded and walked away.

I took a sip and sighed happily. So far, so good. No insane disruptions, no annoying parents, no Lash and Speed; it was looking up to being a very good night.

My homework for History it seemed consisted of studying my own ancestors. I wasn't sure that they would be in there, but then again, I guess if they were even slightly famous, they'd be part of it.

Finding out who my ancestors were would be the hard part; it was too bad textbooks didn't come with a family tree finder.

I flipped open the textbook, and much to my surprise, I was not greeted with a printed page, but rather a computer screen which flashed 'Welcome, Elise'. I flipped it shut, looked around quickly to make sure no-one was looking my way, and slowly opened it again. This was totally creepy, but totally cool. I don't think I'd ever heard of other schools that had personalized computers in their students' textbooks.

When I opened the textbook cover fully, a small keyboard slid out near the bottom of the book. I watched the screen as a new message flashed across.

'Please enter the name of your parents, followed by the enter key.'

Making sure once again that no-one was watching, I typed in first my mother's full name, then my father's name. 'Caroline Eliza Wrightman, Albert Matthew Shaw.'

The computer began scanning, and a little yellow ball bounced back and forth across the screen, reminding me of that old game, pong.

After a moment, the screen flashed and the results came up, showing the two most well-known supers in my family. I felt surprised and a rush of excitement at the two names that showed. The first, on my mother's side was Merlin. There was quite an impressive list of powers under his name, which explained why so many people believed he was quite an accomplished wizard. The second, was far more surprising than the first, more because I had never truly believed in the existence of not only this person, but where they were from. Diedre, Princess of Kells from the land of Tir Na Nog, a mystical place often referred to as the land of eternal youth.

I blinked in wonder at the information that lay before me. This was absolutely amazing. The page numbers where I could find the information appeared at the bottom of the screen, and I immediately flipped to the pages to dive into the readings.

* * *

Lash sat in his car in the driveway for a few moments, breathing deeply to calm himself down. He turned on the cd player, which contained one of his favourite mix cds, and put on a song called Shallot by Emilie Autumn. It was a song that he only listened to when he was alone; letting people know he listened to music like Emilie Autumn could scare them just a little bit. Still, it was what he considered his calming music. Sure, it wasn't exactly 'calm' but it helped him feel calm.

He took one more deep breath, then turned the key in the ignition and started his car. As he drove, he shook his head slowly. The homes in his area, including his own family's house, were huge, belonging to those with lots of money. The very kind of pretentious people Lash hated being around. Not that all rich people were pretentious, but the ones in his area had always been rude, arrogant, and acted like there was something more important about them because they had wealth.

Although many would say he had no right to comment, he would readily point out that he hadn't chosen to be part of the upper class society, he was put there by chance. And while his family did own a big home, and were rather wealthy, his parents had raised them as if they didn't have all the money in the world, and taught them to work and save up to buy their own things.

He sighed, and turned up the volume on Shallot. Being angry made him grumpy about everything else too. By the time he reached Second Cup, his breathing had slowed back down and he was feeling a little bit better.

The parking lot was quite empty, which was hopefully an indication to the atmosphere inside the coffee shop as well. He pulled his book bag off the passenger seat, and headed into the coffee shop.

He placed his order, then looked around for a place to sit. He froze as his gaze came across the new girl, Elise, studying away at the table he normally sat at. He loved that booth, because it was somewhat secluded and no-one ever bothered him while he was there. It was a big table, and there was lots of space, but he wasn't sure he was prepared to sit with the enemy just to sit at his favourite table.

He watched her for a moment, balancing his options, and raised an eyebrow at the excited grin spreading across her face. Apparently, she had just discovered who her ancestors were, and was quite pleased with it. Resisting the urge to reach across the shop and snatch the textbook from her, he instead turned back to the counter.

He took his finished coffee, took one more look around the shop, then sucked up his pride and walked over to Elise's table.

"Ahem," he said, clearing his throat.

* * *

I jumped a little bit as I heard someone clear their throat, and was surprised to find myself staring at Lash.

"Hi?" I asked, feeling a little worried. What was he doing there? I was not in the mood to have my night of refuge destroyed by the school bully. "What's the matter, missing your evil twin tonight?"

Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but it came out anyway. Something about feeling like I had my back against the wall… again.

I watched as Lash clenched one of his fists and took a deep breath. "I'm here on my own tonight… and coming on… peaceful terms this time."

I raised an eyebrow. Lash wanted to call a truce with me for tonight? Of course, that would mean not having any problems while studying, and I might even be able to get some help on the homework.

"Go on…"

"This is going to sound really weird… but this is sort of my table… and I was wondering if I could sit here with you?"

I groaned inwardly. Elastic-boy and I had something in common? Apparently, Second Cup would not be as much of an escape for me as I thought. Fighting the urge to turn into super bitch on him, I took a breath. "On one condition," I said.

Now it was Lash's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What type of condition?"

I smirked. "You help me with this blasted homework."

Lash appeared to contemplate it momentarily, then sat his coffee on the table and climbed onto the bench. "I think I can handle that."

Either I imagined it, or as he replied, he actually gave me a genuine smile. Perhaps there was a side to Lash Richards that I had yet to see.

"What are you working on?" He reached over and pulled my textbook towards him.

"I have to write a paper on my family history for the first assignment to complete my grade 9 history credit," I replied with a sigh. It wasn't the most difficult of assignments, but it was going to be a pain catching up. Still, at least they were letting me do a bunch of ISU's to catch up, instead of simply sticking me in the 9th grade.

"I remember that assignment… mine was pretty easy," Lash said. "Of course, I don't think I really did much work on it."

"Big surprise there," I muttered.

Lash looked like he was about to make a snarky response, then bit his lip. "I deserved that," he said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't say anything.

We sat in an awkward silence for a few moments, staring at the textbook and randomly taking sips of our coffees.

"Well," he began, "I guess it being a paper there's not much I can do… but I know they look for stuff like, what its been like growing up under the shadow of your famous relatives, and how much you know about them."

I sighed. Just perfect. "What if you didn't even know who they were until like… two minutes ago?"

Lash looked surprised. "You mean, you didn't know? How could you have not known where… " he glanced around, making sure the Barista's were not listening, he lowered his voice and continued, "your superhero ancestry comes from?"

I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it again. If I admitted I didn't even know I was a super until today, it would be like basically confessing I had no powers.

"My parents were never very vocal about our history, because our line has been inactive for so long."

"Must have been nice not growing up in their shadows of limelight then," Lash said, sounding genuine. I had no idea his parents were in the limelight.

"Who are your parents?"

"You don't know?"

I shook my head. "I'm not gonna lie… I don't know a whole lot of extensive information about that community."

Lash nodded in understanding. "It seems pretty normal that many people outside of the immediate community and school don't know a whole lot about it."

He leaned his head in towards mine, and I could smell the coffee on his breath. Caramel Coretto, just like mine. For a brief moment, I wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and felt my stomach flip flop. Stupid, stupid hormones.

"The Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic," he whispered.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive… and explains where you get your, abilities, from."

Lash chuckled. "Yeah really… most kids get variations of their parents, _abilities_, I got my dad's to a 'T'."

I let out a small laugh, then stopped. Were Lash and I actually having a decent conversation? This was ridiculous, not to mention somewhat unbelievable, given the way I had been treated earlier.

"So who are your famous folk?"

I shifted, and drummed my fingers nervously on the table. Then I looked around, hoping no-one else from school was seeing this friendly exchange between Lash and I.

* * *

Lash watched Elise and studied her continually. It appeared she was feeling as awkward as he was, but at the same time, he was kind of enjoying it. It was nice to kind of just, talk with someone for once, without having to plot or prove himself.

He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was when he was leaned in close like this, how she had a nice smell to her, like vanilla and coconut.

She seemed unsure of whether or not she should answer him at first, but he didn't blame her. It was somewhat awkward, sitting here talking nicely with the girl he had declared war with only a few hours earlier.

"Merlin, and Princess Diedre of the Knights of Tir Na Nog," she whispered, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she spoke.

Lash opened his eyes wide in amazement. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Seriously."

"Well then, sounds like you've got a pretty impressive paper to write."

He pulled out his own binder and flipped it open.

"You're here to do homework too?" she asked, sounding a little surprised.

"I almost always come here to do homework, it's a nice place to enjoy the peace and quiet."

She nodded in understanding, apparently she thought the same thing.

Lash smiled at her, and pulled out his History of Supers textbook. It felt strange that although she was in the same class as him, they were working on different things.

"Let me know if you need any more help, I'm gonna try and get more done on today's homework."

Elise nodded, and pulled out her highlighter. "Time for me to start researching anyway."

* * *

We spent most of the rest of the night not talking. It was slightly awkward, while at the same time, not awkward at all. Hard to describe really. But both of us managed to get a fair bit done on our homework, and thankfully, we never got around to talking about my powers, which saved the hassle of having to create a lie believable enough to cover the lack of them.

By the time I glanced at the clock, it was already after ten. I wasn't entirely sure how three hours had passed that quickly, but it did. I had managed to get a fair bit done on my research, and even a rough outline of my essay written up.

"Holy smokes," I breathed, "It's after ten already?"

Lash looked up from his paper, which he had been writing furiously, and blinked. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

I closed my binder and sighed. "Time to get home I suppose."

"How long a drive is it for you?" Lash asked, folding up his binder as well.

"Oh, I didn't drive, I walked. It's only a couple of blocks." I put the textbook and binder in my backpack, and chugged the rest of my coffee.

"What? You can't walk at this hour!" Lash protested.

I was a little surprised that he seemed that concerned. "I'll be fine, like I said, it's only a few blocks. Besides," added with a smirk, "aren't we supposed to be able to defend ourselves?" I winked and stood up.

Lash didn't seem quite as amused. "Well, beyond the fact that we're not supposed to use our abilities off property, I couldn't very well let a young woman walk home alone." He shoved his notebook and textbook in his bookbag and stood up. "I'll give you a ride home."

I felt beyond confused about Lash at that moment. In a matter of hours, he had gone from being a complete asshole to a totally chivalrous gentleman.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "You can't be that far out of my way if you're only a few blocks away. And I'd feel much better knowing you were home safe."

I sighed. "Fine."

Lash Richards was by far the strangest guy I had ever met. We walked out to his car, the awkward silence from earlier returning.

I looked around the parking lot, seeing only one vehicle. But there was no way it could be his. A guy like him, could not have such a passion for such a brilliant car.

"Well, there she is," Lash held his arm out towards the '67 Mustang, beaming with pride.

My jaw dropped open, and I ran towards it, running my hand along the hood, up over the doors, and down along the back. "She's… she's gorgeous," I breathed, in absolute awe. "Is it seriously yours?"

"Yeah," Lash ran a hand through his hair. "She was a pet project before I went back to school… restored her all by myself."

"I'm impressed," I said, turning back around to look at him. "That is a great car… the best car."

"You're a Mustang fan too?" he asked, seeming a little surprised.

"Yeah… for as long as I can remember, the '67 is my dream car. Always has been."

"Well, I guess you're lucky to get to ride in one tonight then, because I never let anyone in her," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. Someone who never lets anyone in his car was about to let the girl he had declared war on in it. "So what makes me so special?"

Lash shrugged. "Nothing really other than your circumstance and my inescapable sense of chivalry."

I snorted. "Chivalry my ass."

Lash clicked the key and unlocked the door. "Where do you live?" He asked as he climbed in.

I opened the passenger door and climbed in as well. "17 Cherryfield Ave." I replied.

"I know where that is… that's just around the corner from me," he said.

"Really? How come we're not on the same bus then?"

Lash snorted. "I'm three years older than most of the kids on the bus… I'd rather drive to school then deal with their immaturity."

_He's one to talk,_ I thought, concerning the immaturity. "So how do you get there then?"

"I built in a special rocket into this baby, same type the buses use, so I just take her to school."

He started the ignition and I closed my eyes, just letting the sound of the engine travel through my body. Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful sound it was.

I heard Lash chuckle and opened my eyes again, looking at him sharply. "What?"

"I just never pegged you as the type of girl who would appreciate a good car," he admitted.

"Well, I never pegged you as the type of guy who wouldn't let a girl walk home alone," I retorted.

Lash shrugged. "Guess you learn something new every day."

"Guess so."

We didn't really talk the rest of the way back to my house, a whole two minute drive. He stopped outside my house, and I unbuckled my seatbelt, and picked up my bag.

"Thanks," I said quietly, pulling the door handle. I pushed open the door, swung one leg out, and went to climb out, but was stopped by Lash blocking my way with his arm. It was somewhat creepy to actually witness him stretch out his arm like that, but I sucked it up. I'd probably be seeing a lot of creepy things in the near future.

I cocked my head towards him. "Yes?"

"I hope you realize, this doesn't change anything between us at school," he said smoothly. There was a bit of a mischevious glint in his eye, but I was too furious to care.

"Like I care," I snapped back at him. "I'm not the type to fraternize with assholes." I shoved his arm out of my way and jumped out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, jackass." His arm hadn't moved from the edge, so I did the first thing I thought of, and slammed the door on his hand. I heard him howl in pain but didn't look back, as I stormed up to the house, snuck inside, and locked the front door.

When I reached my room, I dumped my bag on the floor, flipped off my blankets, crawled into bed, then curled up in a ball with my head covered by the sheets. Maybe life would seem better after a good night's sleep.


	6. Chapter Five: I Don't Belong Here

**A/N: Yet another long hiatus, I know I know. I apologize. It seems my creative energies were sapped out of me by the working world. And then, when I started to get them back, I was thrown into almost two years worth of wedding planning, wedding photography, and then planning my own wedding. My goodness, where has the time gone?**

**I also want to apologize about yet another error I didn't notice in the last chapter. I REALLY need to start editing my work prior to posting. Anyway, I noticed that when Lash first gets to the coffee shop, he makes a 'comment' about how Elise must be discovering her ancestors, then later he is surprised that she is finding out her ancestors. It should only have been the latter. **

**I promise to try to avoid more future discrepancies. **

Chapter Five

When I woke up the next morning I found that the oddness of the prior night had not vanished as I had hoped. I knew that back at school, Lash would still be the same Lash, but I still found myself oddly intruigued by the side of him I had seen, albeit for a short while, at the coffee shop.

I sat up on my bed and wiped my eyes slowly, removing any leftover sleep. The rest of my morning routine was a blur. I had that strange feeling, where I was there, but I really wasn't. My mind was just kept going over everything. Between Lash and the discovery of my ancestors, there was a lot to think over.

First off, there was the fact that both my major ancestors were people who came from fables. These were people I had believed all my life had never actually existed, and thought they were nothing more than fairytales. Yet here they were, my relatives.

I walked downstairs and placed my textbook on the table, looking over at my mother who was busy washing dishes.

"Mom… did you and dad know who our ancestors are?"

Mom paused and looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. "Actually… no. That was one thing they didn't disclose to us. Did you find out who they are?"

"Mhmm. Apparently, Merlin and one of the mystic knights from Tyr Na Nog."

There was a blink of surprise. "Seriously?"

I nodded.

"Huh. Who knew our bloodline was so powerful. Wonder what you'll get if your powers manifest."

I snorted. "Knowing my luck, it'll be something useless, like making sparkles."

Mom smiled at me. "See? I knew you'd get over things pretty quickly. Your sense of humour is back already!" She turned back to the dishes

I rolled my eyes. "That's hardly a display of chipper forgiveness. I still loathe you and dad."

The toaster popped, clearly with mom's breakfast, which I quickly snagged for myself. I snatched up my textbook, and turned quickly to head out the door.

"Hey! That was my toast!" She shouted as she discovered it was missing.

"Thanks for breakfast mom!" I shouted back before barreling out the door toward the bus stop.

The bus was already rounding to the street, and I broke out running. I vaguely remembered Ron Wilson mentioning something about waiting for no-one, I couldn't afford to miss the bus.

I was close enough that I could see Will reaching his arm out to Ron to get him to stop, and Ron shaking his head, and saying what I assume had to be 'I stop the bus for no-one'.

"WAIIIITTT!" I shouted.

I was within twenty-feet of the bus stop when Ron hit the gas. Rat-bastard.

I stopped and gaped open-mouthed after the bus and the cloud of smoke it left behind. I was going to have to have words with this Ron Wilson.

I clenched my fists and stomped the ground childishly. What the heck was I going to do now?

As if an answer from God, at that very moment I heard a squeal of tires and saw a familiar mustang speeding towards me. In an act of desperation I did the only thing I could think of. I ran forward and jumped into the middle of the street.

I heard the brakes slam and the car skidded to a stop inches away from me, a very angry looking Lash glaring at me through the window.

He slammed open the door, and jumped out. "ARE YOU INSANE!? You could have been killed!"

I shrugged. "I need a ride to school. I missed the bus."

"I'm not a taxi-service," he huffed and turned back towards his car.

"You were pretty insistent on being one last night," I reminded him, crossing my arms and walking to the car.

"It was a one time thing," he snapped, climbing back into the car.

I jogged over and grabbed the door handle as he did up his seat belt. "Come on, unlock the door," I said.

He switched the gear into drive, and then sighed, reached over and unlocked the door. "Don't think this is going to be a habit."

I hid a grin and climbed in. "Don't worry. You're just a last ditch effort. I wouldn't willingly ride with you."

* * *

Lash had to bite his tongue as Elise buckled her seat. It seemed no matter what, he could not rid himself of her. He gave her a sidelong glance, and found himself rather amused at her outfit. While she certainly didn't have the charity-case look of yesterday's outfit, today's still carried a… not so well-put together look. Ripped pink tights, a black skirt, a low-cut, over the shoulder eighties style t-shirt with a tank-top under it, and hair pulled up into a sloppy bun. Lash assumed either she hadn't paid attention while she was dressing, or she actually thought her outfits were hip.

"Did you even look in a mirror before you left your house this morning?"

Elise smirked. "I'm surprised you actually took the time to look at what I'm wearing," she retorted.

"It's kind of hard not to notice. You look half like you walked out of an eighties work-out video."

This comment caused Elise to snort.

"Very feminine of you," Lash added.

"It's not like I have anyone I'm trying to impress," she responded, watching as the ground gave way to the sky, and the vehicle began an upward decent.

For some reason, that comment bothered Lash a little. He attributed to a hurt ego over the fact that this girl wasn't melting for him the way most girls used to, and let it go.

They continued to bicker and snap at each other the rest of the drive. First, it was Lash's taste in music, then it was the way he flew. Every possible thing it seemed that they could argue over, they did.

After landing at the school, Elise practically jumped at the school before Lash had finished and slammed the door. Lash cringed at the clanking of the metal and hoped she hadn't done any permanent danger.

That girl, he decided without a shadow of a doubt, had one wicked temper.

* * *

I realized as I walked away that I was probably being more of a bitch than was necessary, but I couldn't help it. The more time I spent with Lash, the more he was getting under my skin.

The bell had definitely already rung because the grounds and the parking lot were empty.

"Great," I muttered, realizing a detention was probably waiting for me. I hurried through the empty halls, vaguely aware of the fact that Lash was coming up quickly behind me.

"A thank you for giving you that lift would have been appreciated," Lash muttered as he strode past me.

I paused and stared after him. I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Begrudgingly or not, he had just saved me from not making it to school. The least I could have done was said thank-you.

I shook it off, realizing if I stood around moping over the fact that I had been such a jerk, I still wouldn't make it to class. I hurried after him and walked into class, my head hung low. I had never been late for any classes before.

"I guess some people finally decided class was worth showing up to," Mr. Boy said as we entered the room.

I could feel my face flushing.

"Anyone care to explain?"

"I -"

I started to answer but Lash cut me off.

"Sorry Mr. Boy, Ron took off just as Elise was arriving at the bus, and she didn't know how to get to the school, so she called me. We're both late because I went back for her."

I looked at Lash in surprise. I had expected him to make some way to blame this on me. Then again, maybe he was just trying to get himself off the hook.

Mr. Boy sighed. "I remember when Ron Wilson used to leave me behind… and he wasn't even a bus driver then." He momentarily got this faraway look in his eyes and a glazed expression, almost as if he had forgotten there was a class full of students waiting for him to teach.

A moment later he shook himself and looked back at us. "I'll give you a pass this time. If this happens again, detention, both of you."

"Thank you," I said quietly, still a little embarrassed to be the centre of attention in class again. I preferred being a wallflower.

Everyone was staring at me, some snickering, some laughing. I was mildly aware of the fact that most of it had to do with my 80's workout outfit. I needed to get new clothes and quick.

Realizing the longer I stood there the more they would stare, I turned and walked back to my seat. I didn't want to go without thanking Lash this time, so I tore a piece of paper out of my notebook and wrote 'Thank you… I mean it', then made sure Mr. Boy wasn't looking. He had already distracted himself rambling on to the class about some rescue he did with the Commander back in the day.

I passed the note over to Lash. A brief look of surprise flashed across his face before he looked at me and shrugged.

I was starting to wonder if maybe everyone had pegged Lash wrong, or his being an ass was really all an act. I shook my head. That was craziness. He had been nice only a handful of times. That didn't mean he was necessarily a nice guy.

The rest of class was a nightmare. Trying to follow along with all these things that I was supposed to know about already was like being in advanced calculus without having ever taken a math class. I wrote furiously the whole period, taking as many notes as I could.

"Elise, can you tell me when the first ever sighting of a legitimate superhero was, and what gave them away?" Mr. Boy called out.

I flushed red again. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Boy, I just got my grade 9 history books yesterday… I –I" I began stuttering and bit my tongue, willing myself to stop talking before I said something really stupid.

"Oh… that's right. I forgot," he replied, frowning. "Principal Powers mentioned something about that yesterday. Sorry about that."

The class laughed collectively. I had never felt so stupid in my life.

"Well, we all know who the class dunce is," sneered Speed, "Eh, Lash?"

Lash didn't reply, which caused Speed to look a little confused, but he didn't come to my rescue either. I had half expected him to, which I realized was awfully silly. Why would he? Just because I said thank you to him once?

The rest of class seemed to drag by, and I spent it looking down at my paper, refusing to face the people who I was sure kept turning around and looking at me. I could hear the whispers around the class.

"Why is she even here?" one student whispered.

"I heard she doesn't even have powers… she could never be a sidekick," said another.

"I heard from Angela, who heard from Steven, who overheard her talking with Will and Layla that she didn't even know she came from a super family before yesterday."

Just focus, I commanded myself, writing notes even more furiously. I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes left. First thing I would do when the bell rang was march to Principal Powers office and tell her I shouldn't be here, that I need to go back to regular school.

When the bell finally rang, I snatched up my bag and books and began to barrel out of the classroom.

"Where's the fire, dunce?" Speed called after me.

I tried to ignore him as tears began to fill my eyes. I had never been more humiliated in my life. For the first time, I felt stupid and worthless.

I was barely past the first set of lockers before I ran into the brick wall that was Speed. "Where do you think you're going so fast?"

"Get out of my way, Speed," I said firmly. I tried to push past him, but he was too fast. By time I'd get around him, he was already in my way again. "Please, just leave me alone this once," I begged, trying not to burst out crying.

"Aww, is the little baby going to cry about it?" Speed snickered.

I was about to let loose a mouthful of fowl words when Lash slid in beside Speed. He leaned his arm casually on the lockers, and looked over at Speed.

"I'll take care of this Speed. Why don't you go harass the ninth graders, they've been getting off easy."

I didn't know what to think. Was he about to torment me again?

Speed shot Lash an unpleasant look before taking off, and I took the opportunity to push past and continue my speed-walk towards the office.

"Whoa, slow down there!" Lash called as he ran to catch up with me. By the time he did, the tears were starting to flow. I just wanted to go home. Two days, and I was tired of this place already.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me around to look at him.

"What?!" I snapped, wiping my eyes ferociously. I knew he could already see that I was crying, but I wanted desperately to make it look otherwise.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Much to my surprise, he actually looked concerned.

"I'm fine," I muttered looking at my shoes.

"I'm not an expert on girls or anything, but typically when they say they're fine while crying, it means something's wrong."

"What do you care?" I retorted, turning away.

Lash didn't try to stop me, but he did start walking alongside me. He was silent for a moment.

Students in the halls were staring at us, and I knew I had caused a scene. But right then, I didn't care. If things went my way, I wouldn't even be a student in a few hours. I could go back to my normal life and forget about this nightmare.

"If I did or said anything to hurt you, I'm sorry," Lash said quietly.

I could feel the tears welling up again. I wasn't sure if I was crying because I was angry, embarrassed or both.

"It's not you," I sniffed with a sigh. "I just shouldn't be here. I don't belong here."

Lash laughed, and I shot a look up at him.

"What? You find that funny?"

He shook his head. "Not funny, just a little bit silly. You think you don't belong here? Speed and I tried to take over the school. We teamed up with an evil villain, we almost killed every student and teacher here, spent three years in juvi… if anyone doesn't deserve to be here, it's Speed and I."

I didn't know why he was trying to make me think I belonged, but I didn't care. I still kept walking towards Principal Power's office.

"Yeah, but you have powers and stuff. You know about all this. I don't. I have no powers. I might not ever have powers. What kind of a super hero doesn't have powers?"

"Being a hero is about more than our powers. You can be a hero without powers. Look at Batman. He had nothing but his intelligence and his gadgets, and he STILL succeeds at saving Gotham City on practically a daily basis."

We rounded the hallway and paused outside of the office as the bell rang.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, rubbing away the tears again.

Lash shrugged. "Because sometimes, people need someone who's willing to take a chance on them." He stepped forward, grabbed the door to the office and held it open for me. "Principal Powers isn't going to let you walk away either, but maybe, she'll have the words of encouragement that you need."

I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what to say. This 'relationship' Lash and I had was so bipolar I was surprised our fast changing attitudes toward another hadn't started a tornado.

"Look. I know that we don't get along. But do me a favour. Let me know what Principal Powers says."

I kind of half nodded and walked through the door. I felt dizzy from our exchange. This was all just so confusing. Mixed with everything that was going on, I just hoped I wouldn't faint again.

The receptionist looked up at me and smiled. "Elise, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to speak with Principal Powers… it's important." I probably didn't have to add the latter part, but I thought it might help anyways.

"Have a seat my dear, I'll see if she's available."

I sat down on the red-cushioned chairs lining the wall, and took a deep breath, hoping that when I came home with a school transfer request, my parents wouldn't hate me.


End file.
